Getting over the hump

Oak Mountain's Clara Fuller returns as the Eagles' top pitcher this spring. She is expected to share the load in the pitching circle with freshman Lacy Marty. Action from a game between Oak Mountain and Spain Park on Monday, March 20, 2017, at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Alabama.

Kaitlin Griffin’s expectations for the Oak Mountain High School softball team have not changed since the day she arrived.

She came to Oak Mountain two years ago with high goals. She wanted the Eagles to expect nothing less than competing at the state tournament. Each of the last two seasons, they have come up one step shy of that, coming up short in the North Central Regional.

After making it to regionals in 2016, big things were expected in 2017. But in Griffin’s words, the team never quite “peaked.”

“We never really found consistency last year,” she said.

In 2018, though, while many local softball teams are looking at voids to fill after a senior exodus, the Eagles lost just two. O’Neil Roberson and Abby Jones were impact players to be sure, but there isn’t as much relative unknown for Oak Mountain.

But the Eagles still have to get it done on the field.

“They have to come out ready to play every single game,” Griffin said. “If they do that the entire season, then there’s no reason we shouldn’t do that in regionals. The key is getting through that second game.”

Roberson is now at Mississippi State and Jones proved an effective pitcher for the Eagles, and the Eagles will have to find replacements for those spots.

Junior M’Kiyah Mitchell spent last year in right field and is looking to make the transition to first base to take Roberson’s spot. Although her production last season didn’t match that of her freshman season, Mitchell’s bat should continue to be a force in the middle of the Oak Mountain lineup.

In the pitching circle, Clara Fuller returns after a solid sophomore season. She split innings with Jones last season, and the Eagles are hopeful that freshman Lacy Marty can help Fuller shoulder the load this spring. Notably, Fuller’s 10-inning, three-hit shutout against Spain Park helped Oak Mountain finish in a tie for first in the area.

“Now she’s the one that we’re going to look to complete games,” Griffin said of Fuller. “Whatever it takes to win, that’s what she’s going to do. She’s gotten better each year, and we’re expecting this year to be the same.”

This year, the Eagles have four seniors: Cassady Greenwood, Jenna Galloway, Bryson Campbell and Torie Denkers.

Greenwood is a senior catcher that has signed with Louisville, and her bat in the middle of the lineup will determine a great deal of the Eagles’ success. Galloway roams center field and will make her way to South Alabama after her high school days. Campbell and Denkers are both playing again after an absence from the team. Campbell will likely play a corner outfield spot after not playing last year. Denkers has focused on volleyball much of her high school career, but Griffin said her potential with the bat would surprise opponents.

Freshman Riley Sullivan will join Galloway and Campbell in the outfield. On the infield, Abi Brown and Dartmouth commit Maddie Katona will hold down the left side. Fuller plays second base when she’s not in the circle, but Oak Mountain will need to find another consistent player there. Junior Tori Martin will compete for time at designated hitter and third base.

Time will tell if the Eagles can get over the hump this spring.

“Every team’s different, but they understand what it takes to win,” Griffin said. “They know what I’m expecting of them.”